


daylight (a ghost boyfriends/walex fic)

by thirteen_beaches



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV), Julie and the Phantoms
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Unhappy Ending, ghost boyfriends, loosely inspired by the movie 'Before Sunrise', no beta we die like men, sorry about this angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26468302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteen_beaches/pseuds/thirteen_beaches
Summary: everyone has a countdown of days until they meet their soulmate, which changes to how long they have together when they meet. some are lucky enough to spend years together, others arent. where does alex's luck lie?
Relationships: Alex (Julie and the Phantoms)/Willie (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex/Willie, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Flynn (Julie and the Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), walex
Comments: 43
Kudos: 412





	daylight (a ghost boyfriends/walex fic)

Living in a world where soulmates existed should have been comforting. The idea that you were going to meet and be with someone perfect for you, should’ve been exciting. But the thought brought nothing but dread in Alex’s heart.

He remembered being 8 years old, finally old enough to recognise that the weird changing marks on his wrist were numbers, decreasing everyday as if preparing in anticipation for something he still didn’t understand. As soon as he realised this, he went running home from school, tear-stained cheeks as he sank in his mother’s lap, trying to ask her about it through choked, blubbering words.

“Aw Alex, they’re soulmate marks,” she had cooed softy, pushing his hair back, making him stand up in front of her. “Until you meet your soulmate, your wrist will count down the days left until you meet them. And when you do, it glows with a lot of beautiful light, and it changes to a countdown of how long you have with your soulmate. It’s not something to cry about lovey, it’s something to look forward to!”

Alex had gasped slightly, rubbing his cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket. “Are you and Papa soulmates?” he asked softly, his eyes lighting up. He jumped excitedly pulling at his mother’s wrist, but she had just smiled softly, gently pulling his hand off.

“Y-Yes sweetie,” she said quietly, her smile not reaching her eyes. He didn’t realise it then, but older Alex would know better. But right then, Alex wouldn’t stop, and he looked at her wrist, frowning.

“Hey! I don’t see any numbers!” he had whined, and his mother laughed quietly.

“That’s because only you and your soulmate can see each other’s countdowns,” she said with a smile, ruffling Alex’s hair. “When you meet the most beautiful girl ever, and you find out you’re soulmates, you will understand everything much more!”

At that, Alex had winced slightly, because _that didn’t sound right at all._ He pouted, looking up at his mother. “Mama, can a boy be my soulmate?” he asked innocently, smiling brightly.

However, as soon as he said that, his mother’s smile faded and she looked away, suddenly more stern. “That is impossible, lovey,” she had said quietly. “You can’t have a boy as your soulmate, because you’re a boy already.” Alex sighed, looking away, feeling strangely gloomy at his mother’s sudden change in mood. _It had just been a question,_ he had thought to himself.

“Sorry for making you angry, Mama,” he whispered, feeling a pit in his stomach. She looked up at him, and shook her head, her smile returning.

“Now wipe those tears before Papa comes back home, okay?” she had said softly, and Alex smiled. “You will find your soulmate, and if you’re lucky, you’ll spend years upon years with her.”

Alex wiped his face and smiled at her, running back to his room, but the last few words she had said would be the ones ringing in his head for years to come.

_If youre lucky…_

_If you’re lucky…_

_What if Alex wasn’t lucky?_

The thought would keep him up for nights on end, tossing and turning as the cold night air blew on his face through his open bedroom window. After all, his luck was already thin when his mother told him his soulmate would most definitely be a girl, who was to say he would get to spend years with whoever it was?

*

Ever since then, Alex felt like he couldn’t escape the concept of soulmates. As the years went by and they grew older, teachers started dedicating lessons to it in History class in school, showing the classes films and videos talking about what happens when soulmates find each other, what to do if you feel like you’ve lost your soulmate, and many more such things that made him feel like he was being suffocated. But the videos, and the movies, and the long lectures by the teachers weren’t the worst part.

It was being around when people found their soulmates, and the discussions about their countdowns that really did it for Alex.

Because, unlike what his mother had said to him when he was 8, there was no rule that your soulmate couldn’t be someone of the same gender. After all, when he and his childhood best friend Reggie were in the 8th grade, one day, Reggie had been extremely excited about the fact that his wrist was showing ‘0 days’. Alex, of course, knew this, because in the week leading up to that moment, Reggie could speak of nothing else, and while it still scared him, he was still excited for his best friend.

As they were walking into school, Reggie had been jumping around Alex excitedly, talking animatedly about what he would say to his soulmate, when he had collided with a boy carrying a guitar on his back, who was keeping his head down. Of course, they landed in a heap on the ground, and Reggie yelped loudly, the other boy landing with a ‘huff’, as Alex stood by, trying hard not to laugh. The other boy had looked up at Reggie quite angrily, clearly ready to yell at him, but just then, they met eyes, and Alex saw it happen before they did.

Their wrists lit up, and Reggie squeaked loudly, startled by the weird ‘tingling’ sensation as he later described it. The two boys looked down at the new numbers on their wrist, and looked back at each other, cheeks flushed as they smiled in utter disbelief.

“Well, looks like I’ve fallen for you, soulmate,” Reggie had said with a lopsided grin, and the boy had groaned, punching his shoulder with a scoff.

“Now I don’t know whether to be happy or to be upset,” the boy had laughed, and Reggie had laughed the loudest he had in a while, holding out his hand to pull up the boy.

“I’m Reggie,” he said, and the boy smiled giddily, shaking his hand.

“Luke,” he replied, and Reggie looked away, blushing. All around them, cheers erupted from the students who had gathered around and seen their meeting. The two of them looked bashful as anything, and Reggie turned to smile at Alex, pointing excitedly at Luke.

But Alex was clapping numbly, even though he so desperately wanted to be happy for his best friend finding his soulmate. All he could hear ringing in his mind were his mother’s words and he saw Luke and Reggie hold hands and walk up beside him, Reggie introducing Luke to him and Luke smiling happily at finding more people he could consider friends.

Because his mother had lied to him.

_No, she hadn’t lied. She didn’t want him to know it was possible. Because she didn’t think it was right._

_Well this just made stuff a lot more complicated._

*

“Luke, how many years is this?” Reggie asked while he, Luke and Alex were loafing around in Luke’s room after practice, holding out their wrist to the brown-haired boy who was lying upside down on his bed. It had been around 3 years since Reggie and Luke had bumped into each other that day at school, and ever since then, Luke had fit in perfectly with the group. In fact, the three of them had formed a band with Julie, a girl who lived across the street from Luke whom they had once heard singing along to their jamming out in Luke’s garage, and the rest had become history.

Lue, who had been absent-mindedly strumming his acoustic guitar, lifted their head with an amused smirk, looking over at Reggie with a soft smile. “It means 45 years, Reginald,” he said, shaking his head fondly. “You ask me this everyday, while you know I have the exact same countdown on my hand.”

“I know, but I just like hearing you say it,” Reggie replied, and Luke rolled his eyes, tossing a pillow at him.

Alex, who was sitting on Luke’s windowsill, was just staring out absent-mindedly, and Reggie looked over, noticing his rather morose mood. He frowned, sitting up and scooting over to tap Alex on the knee.

“Hey, you good there Alex?” he asked, and Alex snapped out of his daze, turning to give a small smile to Reggie. But anyone could see it didn’t reach his eyes at all, and Reggie shared a concerned look with Luke, who got off the bed.

“Dude, you’ve been weirdly quiet the past couple of days, it’s getting kind of scary,” Luke said, and Reggie nodded. Just then, Julie walked into Luke’s bedroom, holding a bowl of chips she had gotten from Luke’s mom. She looked around at the guys with a smile, but it faded as she saw the concern in their eyes.

“Uh, I just said goodbye to Flynn, and your mom gave me snacks for all of us,” she said quietly, setting it down on the bed as she walked up to the windowsill. “What’s going on?”

“Alex is being super quiet and he won’t tell us why, or what’s going on,” Luke said, and Julie narrowed her eyes, sitting in front of Alex and placing her hand over his.

“Hey, is everything okay Alex?” she asked quietly, and Alex just scoffed, his eyes filling up with tears.

“No! No, everything isn’t okay guys, thanks for asking!” he said sharply, and everyone started back, surprised at how harsh and broken Alex sounded. They were used to him being the voice of reason, of comfort, the one to always lift others up, but they had never heard him speak in that tone. “Earlier today, Reggie asked me why I was stalling with practice, now you guys are pestering me, and talking about your soulmate things, and it’s just reminding me that nothing is okay right now, so sorry if I’m not as happy and energetic as usual!”

Luke and Julie shared a worried glance, gulping nervously. But Reggie, however, leaned forward and grabbed Alex’s hand, forcing him to look at them. “What’s going on, Alex?” he asked quietly, and Alex rolled his eyes, about to pull his hand away, but Reggie tightened his grip. “Talk to us, Alex. That’s what bandmates are for,” he said, and Alex looked up to see everyone smiling at him encouragingly.

“I came out to my parents today,” he said slowly, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. “And, they really, didn’t take it well.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hold back the tears, when he felt a pair of arms rap around his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see Julie hugging him, smiling comfortingly at him. Luke and Reggie and joined in on the hug, and at that moment, Alex let himself break, and he cried his heart out, knowing that his friends were right there to catch him.

“Is that part of why you don’t like talking about soulmates?” Luke asked, and Alex looked up, gulping as he nodded slowly.

“One of the things I remember my mom saying was that it was impossible for a boy to be my soulmate,” he said slowly, and Reggie sighed, closing his eyes. “And then I saw you and Reggie meet, and I realised that she was lying, it was just that she didn’t want to see that with me.” Alex let out a short laugh. “It sounds awful when I say it out loud, but ever since she said that, over the years, while everyone is celebrating the soulmates who have many years together, the only ones I notice are the ones that end. I sound like such a cynic when I say this, believe me, I know. But I can’t stop thinking about, what if I’m not as lucky as you and Luke, or Julie and Flynn?” he asked, looking up at the others. He lifted his wrist, the black ‘401 days’ burning in the back of his mind. “I don’t exactly have much in the luck department.”

“Hey,” Julie said softly, lifting Alex’s chin so he would look up and face them. “It isn’t awful, okay? It’s okay to worry about that, but don’t let it scare you Alex.” Julie smiled, squeezing his hand. “Because regardless of when you meet your soulmate and how long you guys have together, you’ll always have us.” Alex gave her a small smile, and Reggie clapped his shoulder, shaking him.

“Whatever happens, us bandmates stick together,” he said, and Alex smiled, pulling them all in for a big group hug.

“You guys are the best,” he whispered, and they all laughed. Luke ruffled Alex’s hair and smiled.

“And, you don’t have to go back to your parents’ house if you don’t want to,” he said. “You can sleep here.”

“Seriously?” Alex asked, surprised, and Luke nodded. Alex laughed, shaking his head. “Thanks dude,” he said softly, and he looked at all his bandmates. “I don’t feel as scared anymore.”

*

0 days.

That’s what Alex’s wrist read the day he decided to take a long walk down the streets of LA.

He hadn’t been able to sleep the previous night, just tossing and turning on the pullout cot that Luke had set up near his bedroom window ever since Alex had practically moved in with him. If he had thought seeing his wrist read ‘1 day’ had been stressful, he was practically a ball of nerves covered with skin at that moment, unable to pay attention to the music blasting through his earphones because of how loud his heart was pounding.

Reggie had stayed the night, and in the morning both he and Luke were asking him if he was okay, if he wanted to hang out with them to take his mind off the nerves for the day, but Alex had shrugged their worries off, telling them he just wanted to be alone for all of this. He didn’t wanna bring his friends’ moods down, and besides, whatever was going to happen was going to be between him and his soulmate anyway.

As it did whenever he started to feel the panic rise in him, Ale’s mind echoed his mother’s words, which didn’t help him out one bit. _If you’re lucky, you’ll spend years upon years with…_ It didn’t help that ever since Alex had packed his backpack with the few things he really needed and snuck out his house for the last time to stay over at Luke’s, he hadn’t even spoken to his parents.

 _Thinking about this stuff wasn’t gonna help him,_ Alex’s brain chided, and he forced himself to stop and take a deep breath. _Whatever would happen, he’d be okay. He wasn’t alone. He’d be okay._ He pulled out his phone and saw texts from Julie and Flynn, enough to make him smile, and ease his heart just a bit.

 **Julie:** hey alex!! you got this! ily and make sure when you meet your soulmate you give them the biggest hug <3

 **Flynn:** drummer boy, don’t worry! cuz wtv happens we’re right here!! now go get ur person!!!!!

In retrospect, standing still on the sidewalk may not have been the smartest idea Alex had ever had, but how was he to know what was about to happen?

Just as Alex was about to pocket his phone, he just about heard someone yell ‘Watch out!’ behind him, before feeling something collide into his back a full force. Alex shrieked, closing his eyes as he fell onto the ground, the person who had crashed into him falling beside him in a huff. The shock of the impact landed on Alex’s elbows and chest, and he groaned, feeling the dull thud of pain on his forehead from where it had hit the concrete. His earphones had been yanked out of his ears because of the fall, so Alex could hear the other person groaning because of the fall.

“Dude, I am so, so sorry,” a voice said, and a hand slipped into his own, pulling Alex up. He blinked, trying to get rid of some of the white spots in his vision, trying to see who the culprit of his fall was. After a second of trying to gain some balance, Alex winced and saw a boy with elbow-length brown hair, pulling a helmet off his head as he reached down for his skateboard. And, _he was really handsome._

“It-it’s okay,” Alex muttered, coughing slightly. The boy looked up at him, eyebrows quirked, and he smiled in a way that twisted Alex’s heart in a weird, unfamiliar way. “Probably shouldn’t have stopped in the middle of LA foot traffic, huh?”

At that, the other boy let out a loud laugh, probably unwarranted for what Alex had just said, but it anyway warmed his heart. However, the boy’s eyes suddenly went wide, as he looked down at Alex’s hand.

“Dude, our wrists,” he gasped quietly, and from the corner of his eye, Alex saw the glowing light emanating from both of their wrists, and honestly, he felt like his heart may as well have beat out of his chest. Because, _oh my god. His soulmate just crashed into him. The cute boy before him, was his, Alex’s, soulmate!_

It felt like something was pricking his wrist, scrawling over the ink that had been on his wrist all those 18 years, writing in what would be the new phase of his life. At that moment, a wonderstruck smile was plastered over Alex’s face as he met the eyes of his soulmate, _his soulmate!!!_

But as soon as the light faded, and the two boys looked at their wrist in excited anticipation, that smile was wiped away just as soon as it had come.

**1 day.**

_No no no no this can’t be happening, this **couldn’t** be happening. People got years, decades, other people had time. They deserved time. _

_Why was Alex’s luck so thin?_

The crowd that had gathered around the two of them on seeing the light show, stood in silent anticipation of their reactions. But the two boys were too scared to look up, to face their soulmate. How were you supposed to look at the one person meant for you, knowing you only had one day together?

But look up, they had to.

Alex’s eyes met the boy’s, and while he was doing a much better job at hiding his emotions compared to Alex, he knew that he was just as broken as him at that moment.

“Well, this is less than ideal isn’t it?” the boy finally spoke, laughing sadly, shaking his head. But Alex couldn’t find it funny, letting out a choked sob, before looking away. It was taking every single bit of willpower he had to not walk away and not know a single thing about his soulmate, just so it wouldn’t feel like he was losing something. But he felt someone grab his elbow, and he turned around, teras rolling down his cheek.

“I’m, I’m sorry man,” the boy said softly, looking at the ground, his voice much smaller. “Look, I hate this just as much as you do,” he started, and Alex looked up at him, feeling slightly less suffocated knowing he wasn’t alone in that regard. “But, if one day is all we have, I don’t wanna just pretend like we never met. I mean, I wanna make the most of it!”

Alex rolled his eyes, scoffing. “What’s the point?” he muttered, kicking the ground. “We’re gonna spend the day together, find out personal things about each other, and realise how much of soulmates we are, only to never stay together after today. Isn’t it just better to acknowledge the other exists and walk away now? No one gets hurt, no one’s hearts are broken.”

The boy just sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed Alex’s hand. “If your heart breaks, it isn’t bad. It just means it still works.” Alex just looked away, and the boy sighed, before looking up like he just had an epiphany, and he tapped his shoulder. “Then, let’s not ask each other personal questions!” he suggested, and Alex looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “Let’s hang out today like we’re just two strangers trying to spend a day with someone they don’t know, we don’t talk about anything personal, or anything about us being soulmates, and then, when we part ways tomorrow, it’ll just be like you saying goodbye to that person you sat next to on a flight. We’d have had fun, without any real emotional attachment.”

Alex considered that suggestion, because honestly? He didn’t want to go back to Reggie and Luke’s questions, and consequent pity and sympathy. He loved those guys, but they wouldn’t understand his situation at all. So, even though it definitely wouldn’t be as simple as his soulmate- the _stranger he had just run into_ was making it seem, Alex found himself nodding along. “Sure, we can do that.”

At that, the boy pumped his fist, grabbing his skateboard and holding it under his arm. He held out his free arm with a smirk. “I’m Willie,” he said, and Alex smiled, shaking his hand.

“Alex.”

Willie smiled, shoving Alex’s shoulder playfully as he began to walk down the walkway. “Well then Alex, let’s go on a city adventure, shall we?”

*

He wasn’t going to lie, hanging out with Willie was easy.

They spent the first hour or so awkwardly walking side by side down the streets, trying to figure out how to hold a conversation without addressing the obvious elephant in the room that they had both agreed to pretend didn’t exist. However, eventually, the two of them started to talk about every trivial topic under the sun.

“Dude, you don’t like mint chocolate chip?” Willie asked incredulously, and Alex laughed, shaking his head vigorously.

“No cuz are you trying to be fresh and minty, or rich and chocolatey? You can’t be both!” he argued, and Willie shook his head, amused as anything.

“Your mind is an enigma I can’t believe you!” he said, and Alex laughed, feeling his cheeks warm as Willie’s smile softened into a fond one. However, the reminder of what they had agreed on, and the feeling like his wrist was burning forced them both to look away and move on. Willie looked up ahead, and their eyes twinkled, tapping Alex on the shoulder.

“I have a fun idea,” they said, and Alex narrowed his eyes, staring at him.

“Why do I feel like you’re about to make me break some rule?” he said, and Willie laughed loudly, pulling him by the elbow.

“Come on! Live a little!” he yelled, running and pulling Alex to the back of a large building, where a window was being propped open by a wooden stick.

“Oh no, I knew it,” Alex said, feeling his heart start to race, and not with excited nervousness. “We’re going in, aren’t we?”

Willie turned around, smirking mischievously as he pulled a wooden crate to boost himself up to the window. “The one thing I love the most,” he said, climbing through the window. “Is skateboarding in empty, renovating museums.” He climbed through, jumping onto the other side, and peeked out of the window, smiling at Alex, his eyes holding an impossible challenge.

_Well, it had been an impossible day._

Alex shook his head, rolling his eyes, unable to believe what he was about to do. But he climbed up onto the box, and vaulted through the window, throwing caution into the wind. No better day to do that, after all.

“You ready?” Willie asked, and Alex smirked, looking at Willie curiously.

“I don’t know whether to tell you to impress me or stay careful,” he said slowly, and Willie laughed, wearing his helmet.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” he said, turning back to wink at Alex. “But you let me know about the impressed part afterwards.”

Before Alex could respond, Willie took off with a loud cheer, and Alex could do nothing but stare after them in awe, watching them skate across the construction boards and paint cans effortlessly, like it was something he had done a million times. But, he also noticed the way Willie was trying to add flair to every one of his movies, like it was almost a dance, a show. Like he was performing a routine he knew inside out. And a selfish part of Alex wanted it to be for his sake, but he didn’t let his mind dwell on that feeling, clenching his fist to pull him back.

After a good few minutes of showing off, cheers and Alex shouting encouragements from the sidelines, Willie jumped over a concrete bench with a loud shout, and came to a swivelling stop in front of Alex.

“So?” he said confidently, puling off his helmet as Alex tried not to stare for too long. “Impressed?”

Alex smirked, eyebrows quirked as she sat down on the bench he had just jumped over. “Maybe,” he said with equal confidence, and Willie scoffed, sitting beside him, crossing his legs.

“Wow, tough crowd,” he laughed, and Alex couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“You’re so good at skating,” Alex mused, shaking his head wistfully. “I feel like if I even got onto a board, I’d have a freak out that would make me run to the hills.”

Alex looked away, but felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Willie looking at him curiously. “What if I taught you right now?” he asked, and Alex’s eyes went wide.

“R-Right now?” Alex muttered, and Willie nodded enthusiastically, getting up and handing Alex his helmet.

“Come on, I’ll just teach you how to move forward, nothing too serious!” he said, smiling excitedly, like a kid on their birthday. And normally, if it were anyone else, Alex would’ve said no. But looking up at the sheer glee in Willie’s eyes, Alex couldn’t find it in himself to say no.

“If you are the reason I die, I will sue you for damages,” Alex joked, and Willie rolled his eyes, fastening the helmet onto Alex’s head.

“I’ll have you know I’m a spectacular teacher!” he said, focusing on tightening the helmet straps. “I actually teach-”

“No!” Alex cut in, eyes wide, and Willie started, jumping back. “No personal details, remember?”

Willie’s expression darkened, clearly having forgotten the circumstances behind them hanging out. “Oh, right,” he whispered softly, before shaking his head, his characteristic smirk returning. “Well, then you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“Okay, so I need to trust a stranger?” Alex said flatly, and Willie laughed, standing beside Alex, holding onto his waist. ( _No Alex was not distracted by that, not at all._ )

“Okay so what I need you to do, is use one foot to push forward slightly, so you gain some momentum,” he instructed, and Alex nodded, cautiously lowering one foot and pushing it against the ground, setting the board into motion, causing his stomach to twist in nervousness.

“It’s okay Alex, I got you, just keep moving forward,” Willie said calmly, smiling in encouragement. “Every now and then, just kick against the ground to make sure you maintain speed.”

After a few minutes of slow movement, and Willie’s calming instructions, Alex was gaining significant speed, and he began to smile in giddy, childish excitement. He bgean to laugh, glancing at Willie who was glancing at him fondly.

“Wow, this isn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be!” Alex said happily, and Willie giggled, his grip on Alex’s waist loosening.

“Okay, now you’re gonna try it without support,” he started to say, but Alex gasped loudly, grabbing onto Willie’s shoulders in what might as well have been a hug.

“Don’t let go of me!” he gasped loudly, holding onto Willie tightly. Willie was knocked back in surprise, causing Alex to loose footing on the board, and he tripped forward, almost about to loose his balance for the second time that day. But Willie kept hold of his, wrapping his arms around Alex’s waist, and pulling him close to him.

The two of them stood like that, stunned into stillness for hat felt like an eternity. Both of them were fully aware this was toeing the line between acknowledging the ‘soulmates’ part of their relationship, and staying true to their quick agreement. But neither of them didn’t know how to pull away, because it just felt _right_ where they were. Eventually, Alex coughed quietly, and Wille snapped back out of his trance, and the both of them awkwardly pulled away, throats dry and heads spinning.

“Well, I think that proved I am really not built for skateboarding,” Alex laughed awkwardly, and Willie nodded, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand as he met Alex’s eyes, the air of awkwardness between them back. Alex sighed, looking around and running over to grab Willie’s board, which he handed to him, trying not to keep eyecontact.

“Well, I thought you weren’t that bad, if that’s anything,” Willie said softly, and Alex smiled, looking at the ground, before clapping his hands, looking up at Willie.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, and Willie looked up, pushing his hair behind his ear. “Cuz I’m starving, and if I’m not wrong, there’s a really cool café just a few blocks down.”

Willie smiled brightly, gesturing to the window. “Well then, lead the way,” he said.

*

The café was a small hole in the wall, but it had a really cool ambience. The entire place was decorated with what looked like driftwood from a beach, and vines were curling around the rafters, sometimes growing down from them. There was a small bookshelf along the wall next to the register, and the walls were covered in black lettering of different song lyrics.

“Whoa,” Willie gasped as he walked in after Alex, and he looked back at them, smiling excitedly.

“Awesome, right?” Alex whispered, and Willie turned to look at him, his heart thrilling at the clear joy on Alex’s face on showing him this café. “I found it cuz, one day, me and my-”

“Shh!” Willie said quickly, placing a finger on Alex’s lips, hushing him. “Personal details?” he reminded him, even though a part of him wanted to just let Alex tell him everything about how he had found the place.

Even Alex seemed to realise, and he nodded slowly, his smile softening to a more wistful one. “Yeah, I remember,” he said, grabbing a table for them next to the window.

Willie sighed, sliding into the seat across from him, smiling sadly. “It’s proving harder than I thought to hold conversations without personal details,” he said quietly, and Alex sighed, laughing sadly.

“Yeah, sure is,” he mused quietly, looking down at his hands. “But it’s for the best.”

Willie drew a shaky breath, having caught a glimpse at the number on his wrist, and he looked away. “Yeah,” he choked out.

Alex saw this, and let out a breath, tapping the table. “Hey, you have to try the hash browns from here,” he said in a whisper, as if he were sharing the world’s most well-hidden secret to Willie. “They’re to die for.”

Willie smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, is that so?” he teased, and Alex smiled back, leaning against the back of his chair.

“Trust me,” Alex said confidently. “I think I’ve tried almost everything in this café.”

“Well, did you have breakfast today?” Willie asked, and Alex narrowed his eyes.

“No, why?” he asked suspiciously, and Willie drummed on the table, lifting up the menu.

“Cuz that’s what we’re going to do right now!” he exclaimed, and Alex scoffed in disbelief. “Let’s order everything off this menu, right now!”

“You’re crazy,” Alex laughed out, and Willie just smiled back at Alex, like he was the answer to the world’s secret.

“What’s life without a little crazy?”

*

As it turns out, ordering every menu item in a café is a lot of fun in theory, but what ended up happening, was that Alex and Willie ended up with more food than any normal human being could consume in a sitting. By the time they had finished all of it, it was well into the evening. They had spent all the time in the café talking about nothing in particular, and most of the time gushing about how incredible the food was. The only lulls in conversation would come whenever one of them would start talking about something from their lives and the other would reluctantly stop them from going any further.

While in the café, Alex had started to learn things about Willie, things he was trying to himself from committing to memory so he could just write this day off as a fun anomaly. He learnt that Willie’s favourite music was more down the pop punk avenue as compared to Alex, but his guilty pleasure was some classic Oh Wonder. He learnt that whenever they didn’t know how to respond to something, he would rub his nose with the back of his hand as he tried to think of a response. He learnt that when Willie laughed, he laughed with his chest, because that’s who he was. He lived life at 100%, because to him, there was no other way to do it.

Willie learned things about Alex too, things that he wish he had a notebook to write down in, because unlike Alex, Willie didn’t want to just forget Alex, despite the tragedy of their situation. He learnt that whenever Alex was unsure of what to say, he’d drum a random beat on the table, any of which that would sound incredible in a song. He learned that Alex was more of a 90’s rock kind of guy, but he didn’t really have any guilty pleasures, if he liked a song, he liked it. He learned that Alex tried to keep his emotions in control a lot more that Willie, staying relatively calm. But when he laughed, like actually laughed, it was loud and free and everything Willie never knew he needed to hear. He almost wanted to record it, so that he could keep listening to Alex laugh, like it was his new favourite song.

After they left the café, stuffed to the brim, Willie skated down the walkway, Alex jogging to keep up with him. And they didn’t need to talk, they just moved side by side, skating and running down to the beach. The streets were now starting to light up in different colours as the night crawled in, and the city truly came alive. It was starting to transform into the LA from every starry-eyed youngsters dreams, with the hustle and bustle of the evening crowds, and the dazzling posters and lights lighting up the roads like they were creating a path just for Wille and Alex. But for both of them, their eyes were only on each other.

As they reached the beach, shouts and cheers of excitement caught Alex’s attention, and he came to stop, holding onto Willie’s shoulder so he came to a stop.

“Look,” he said, voice full of wonder as he pointed to the near distance. Willie followed his line of gaze, spotting a carnival that had been set up on the grounds near the beach, lit up orange and red, with rides, tents and a huge Ferris Wheel to top it all off.

“You think what I’m thinking?” Willie asked playfully, and Alex smirked, letting out a short laugh.

“You bet I am,” he replied, and Willie jumped off their skateboard excitedly, running in the direction of the carnival. Alex was about to follow him, when he felt his phone vibrate. He opened to see multiple messages from Luke, Julie, Flynn and Luke, all asking where he was. Alex just sighed, knowing that there was no way he could tell them everything, not at that moment. Besides, he also had to mention he was gonna be out all night.

 **Alex:** hey guys so im not gonna be making it back tonite :( don’t have too much fun without me

 **Luke:** WHOA ARE U WITH UR SOULMATE

 **Julie:** omgomgomgomgomg

 **Flynn:** make sure you make it back home safe but also HAVE FUN FOR ALL OF US

 **Reggie:** damn dude tell us everything when you come back and make us meet them too :D

That last text cut too deep for Alex, and he let out a shaky breath, pocketing his phone. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to feel the night breeze on his skin. When he opened them, Willie was standing in front of him, a bit ahead, holding out his hand.

“You good, Alex?” he asked genuinely, and Alex smiled, placing his hand in Willie’s, intertwining their fingers.

“Let’s go in,” he said with a sure smile.

The carnival was incredibly alive, with families, couples and friends running through all the areas, shifting from ride to ride with excitement, like everything in there was from a fairytale wonderland that would disappear in the morning. Alex and Willie ran hand-in-hand through the small tented lanes, under the orange candles as they went from stall to stall, playing any game they could. Both had abysmal aim, but it didn’t matter, because all of a sudden, it was like the outside world didn’t exist. The fears and worries from the outer world couldn’t touch them where they were, they were invincible.

“Wanna ride the carousel?” Willie had asked, tugging on Alex’s hand, and Alex laughed giddily, trying to remember the last time he had gone on a carousel. Because any previous time he had gone on one, didn’t even compare to the fun he had with Willie. They didn’t even do anything special, it was just because he was there. With him. Just two people who were destined to find each other.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” Alex said softly, and Willie turned to look at him, struck in awe at how those words managed to make him melt.

“Me too,” he whispered back, leaning closer to Alex. That should have scared him, after all, this was probably going against everything they had decided in the morning, but at that moment, he couldn’t hear the alarm bells, as he too began to lean closer.

“Alex, I,” Willie whispered, just a breath away, but just then, the carousel came to stop, and the two of them jumped away, suddenly hyperaware of what was happening, and what the real world held. Alex coughed, taking a deep breath as he stepped off the horse he had been sitting on, flashing a small smile at Willie before walking away from the ride. Willie just sighed, resting his head against the metal railing, eyes closed as he felt his heart sink.

*

“I’ve never seen the appeal of Ferris Wheels,” Alex said as he and Willie boarded the ride. Willie turned to him in surprise, eyebrows raised.

“Really?” he asked incredulously, and Alex just shrugged. “I’ve always loved Ferris Wheels,” he said softly, stepping into the carriage, Alex following him. “There’s something about the view that really gets to me.”

Alex shook his head, staring out the window. “I used to get freaked out by the heights, so I just stopped going on them,” he said with a shrug. Willie smiled, playfully punching his shoulder.

“Well hopefully, this will change your mind,” he said with a smirk, before turning to look out the window, Alex rolling his eyes, doing the same.

Slowly, but surely, the carriage began to rise, stopping in intervals for people to get on and off, but that didn’t diminish the magic. Alex looked across at the sea that he could see from the Ferris Wheel, and held back a gasp as how beautiful it looked. The dark water was lit in wavy silver lines by the moonlight, the gold and red lights of the Ferris Wheel making the water shine, like gems and treasure was hidden on the sea bed, and he was a pirate that had spent years looking for it. He was enraptured by the view, completely pulled in by the sheer magic that charged the air with electricity. And Alex knew it wasn’t just because of the view. After all, even though he was trying desperately to stop himself, he couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at Willie, losing himself in how the lights shone against his skin, making his eyes glow.

“It’s beautiful,” Alex gasped quietly when they had stopped at the top, looking at the sea.

Willie, who had long since stopped looking at the view, watching Alex’s face light up in wonder, let out a quiet sigh. “Yeah,” he whispered. “It sure is.”

Something about the tenderness in Willie’s voice pulled at Alex’s heartstrings, and he turned to look at him, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Thank you, Willie,” he said quietly, with all the sincerity in the world. “I have had the best day.”

Willie smiled wistfully, sniffing slightly as he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “Me too, Alex,” he whispered, before looking out the window. “Me too.”

Alex felt like he was punched in the stomach by that smile, because he knew what Willie was thinking. He was thinking about all the things he wanted to talk to Alex about, to talk about the soulmate thing, the personal details, the anecdotes. But because of their deal in the morning, he couldn’t. He had to pretend they were just strangers, like on a plane going nowhere, never to meet again. And all the while he had been pushing against that wall, Alex had been holding it up.

Alex didn’t want to do that anymore.

“Willie?” Alex said softly, and Willie looked back at him with a lopsided grin.

“What’s up?” he started, but his voice trailed off when Alex grabbed his hand with a weird sense of urgency.

“Can I kiss you?” Alex asked quickly, throwing all fears and caution to the wind. He didn’t wanna run from the truth anymore. Willie was his _soulmate_. His person. And if they just had one day, _so be it._ He didn’t want to waste time anymore.

Willie’s eyes flew wide open, but he let out a short laugh, tears glistening in their eyes. “I have been waiting for you to ask that for a while now,” he whispered, and Alex cupped his cheeks, pulling him in.

Alex wasn’t prepared for what kissing Willie would feel like. Sure, he had watched enough romantic comedies in his time with Reggie, plus he had heard other people describe it. But none of it could’ve prepared him for the overwhelming feeling of love tat took over him. It may have been fireworks, it may have been calm and warm, he couldn’t remember. All he remembered was the love that he felt in him, and that Willie felt for him. And that was enough.

*

“Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Reggie finding his soulmate, we wouldn’t have had a band,” Alex said with a short laugh, looking up at the sky from where he was lying down on the beach. Willie, who was lying beside him, head on his shoulder, their fingers intertwined, giggled softly, and lifted his head to look up at him.

“I’d definitely want to listen to your music,” he said softly, and Alex smiled, sighing as he leaned against the ground. The sand was almost definitely mixing into his hair, but he couldn’t care at that moment. He was there, with Willie, sharing a quiet and calming moment.

“I used to think it was impossible to fall in love in a week, let alone a day,” Willie said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “And yet here I am, with you, and it’s been less than a day.”

Alex sat up, eyes wide, and Willie sat up too, looking intently at him. “You, you love me?” Alex whispered.

Willie laughed sadly, shrugging. “Of course I do, Alex,” he said, his voice cracking on ‘course’.

Alex laughed, feeling a few tears fall from his eyes as he cupped Willie’s cheek. “I love you too,” he choked out, and Willie laughed, crying like Alex as they kissed.

“I hate everything about this,” Alex whispered as he pulled away, but Willie shushed him, lying back down on the sand, cuddling up against him.

“It’s still night time,” he whispered, and Alex hiccuped softly, feeling the tears rolls down to his ear as he ay back against the sand. “We don’t talk about that until daylight.”

Alex sighed, closing his eyes as he wrapped an arm around Willie, pulling him closer. “Not until daylight.”

*

If the universe had been on their side, time would have frozen, right there, so that daylight would never come for them.

But unfortunately, as they had learnt the hard way, the universe wasn’t kind.

Alex and Willie woke up from their spot on the beach as the sun climbed into the sky, and instantly, they looked at each other, dread filling in their bones as they gathered whatever they had and headed back to the city.

They walked back to the walkway where everything began in silence, hand in hand, both of them too scared to say anything. The only thing that wasn’t sending them into a spiral was the other’s hand, grounding them and making them feel like things would still be okay.

As they reached the spot where Willie had crashed into Alex almost a whole day ago, they both stopped, tears threatening to spill from both of their eyes. Alex walked ahead to face Willie, and they looked at each other, much like they first had. Only this time the fear had grown to astronomical proportions.

“It feels like years ago when I crashed into you with my skateboard,” Willie said quietly, smiling sadly. Alex let out a choked sob, before wiping his tears with resolve.

“No, no this can’t be when it ends,” he said with a shaky voice. “We, we have to still have a few hours, right? A few hours!”

“Alex,” Willie started, but Alex cut him off, backing away slightly.

“No, you still have time to meet my bandmates!” Alex said, panicking now. “Luke, Reggie, Julie and Flynn! You’d love them! And they don’t even live far, I could be back in less than an hour!”

Willie gulped for air, tears streaming down their cheeks as they let out a short laugh. “You think so?” he wheezed, and Alex nodded, starting to walk backwards in the direction of Luke’s house.

“Just stay there!” he shouted as he ran away. “Right there, don’t move! I’ll be right back!” he yelled, before turning and running as fast as he could back home.

As he ran home, Alex’s mind began to replay all the events of the past day in reverse, like it were a film reel flipping through frames rapidly. All the awkwardness, the distance, _god why had they wasted time?_

He ran into Luke’s garage where, thankfully, he found Reggie and him asleep on the couch, and Julie and Flynn jamming on the keyboard. As soon as she saw Luke run in, Julie got up with an excited smile, running over to him.

“Luke! You’re back!” she said happily, and Flynn ran over to Reggie and Luke, shaking them awake. They were about to complain, but as soon as they saw Alex, they bolted awake, smirking excitedly.

“Dude! How’s your soulmate?” Reggie began to ask, but Alex just waved his hands wildly.

“I don’t have any time to explain but you guys need to come with me to meet Willie, right now!” he yelled, and everyone looked at each other in confusion.

“Uh Who’s Willie?” Luke asked, but Alex was already tossing everyone’s jackets at them.

“My soulmate!” he yelled, looking uncharacteristically worried. “Now hurry up and come with me we don’t have much time!” he said desperately, before running from the garage.

“Alex, calm down! We’re coming!” Flynn yelled, and the four of them ran out after Alex, incredibly groggy and confused. But something about Alex’s sense f urgency made them feel like he was being serious about it.

They ran all the way to the main street, but Alex skid to a halt, his heart stopping.

Willie was nowhere to be seen.

“No no no,” Alex muttered, looking around frantically. “Willie? Willie!” he called out loudly, looking everywhere, on every side of the street, but to no avail. He saw a lady cleaning a shop window, and he ran up to her as fast as he could. “Excuse me ma’am,” he gasped, and the lady turned to look at him , slightly concerned. “Did you see a boy with shoulder length brown hair and a skateboard go somewhere?”

“Oh yes! That boy,” she said, smiling apologetically. “An older man had come looking for him, and led him away somewhere. You just missed him, dear.”

“No, no no this can’t be happening!” Alex groaned, pulling at his hair. At this point, Luke, who had caught his breath, walked over to Alex, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Dude whats going on?” he asked calmy, and Alex shoved off his hand.

“I just lost my soulmate, that’s what just happened!” Alex yelled, the tears finally falling.

“You’ll find him again, Alex, don’t worry,” Reggie reassured, but Alex just shook his head, turning to face his friends.

“I won’t, Reg,” he whispered, his voice the most broken any of them had ever heard it. “We only had a day together.”

Silence fell over the group, the weight of Alex’s words making everything else go numb. One by one, all of them walked over to him, enveloping him in a tight group hug, and Alex finally broke down completely, letting everything out.

“His phone number,” he choked out through sobs. “Why didn’t I ask him for his phone number?”

On that LA walkway, Alex was held by his bandmates, his friends, his family, as he cried for what he had lost. He cried the goodbye he never got to tell to his soulmate, Willie.

The pain would subside as the years went on. It wouldn’t leave, and Alex would still search for his face in every crowd they performed to. But that night would forever remain golden in his memory, every detail engraved in his mind like writing on a wall. And Willie would be the best memory he ever had, so much so that he would wwrite the song ‘Until Daylight’ for him, hoping that wherever he was, he would hear it and think of Alex.

But for that moment, Alex cried for the love he had just lost.

**Author's Note:**

> julie and the phantoms new favourite show mmhmm yes  
> also!!!! I LOVE WALEX/GHOST BOYFRIENDS SM OMGG THEY MEAN THE WORLD TO ME  
> im sorry for this angst i had to do it. yell at me on twitter about it ahah  
> twitter: ghostboyfs


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